Thank God. In a society which places a premium on "hip", we need more hip people to express patriotism.
From Townhall:
Is patriotism a thing of the past or is it still kosher to take pride in America? That question was put to basketball great Kobe Bryant at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Sportscaster Cris Collinsworth asked Bryant why he would give up his summer to play with the American Olympic team when he could be earning big bucks at home. Bryant said that when he got the Olympics uniform he spread it out on his bed and gazed at it for a long time. Bryant said, "Our country, we believe, is the greatest county in the world and it's given us so many great opportunities and it's just this sense of pride that you have, that you say, you know what, our country is the best."
Collinsworth was not expecting that sort of comment. Taken aback, he asked Bryant if such pride isn't a relic of a bygone era. "Is it still cool to talk about fighting for the red, white and blue?" Bryant didn't care for the question. He replied, "No, that's the cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it and I'm not ashamed to say it. This is a tremendous honor. You look at our troops overseas who are fighting for our country..." His voice trailed off.
There you have it. The NBC sportscaster was confounded by someone so successful yet so down to earth and patriotic. That is incomprehensible to those who think America is to blame for much of the evil in the world. Despite his success, Bryant is grateful. He has traveled elsewhere in the world. He has seen conditions abroad that he knows have little hope. Interestingly, when he was introduced at the Olympics he received a thunderous welcome, far greater than that received by most Chinese athletes.
From Townhall:
Is patriotism a thing of the past or is it still kosher to take pride in America? That question was put to basketball great Kobe Bryant at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Sportscaster Cris Collinsworth asked Bryant why he would give up his summer to play with the American Olympic team when he could be earning big bucks at home. Bryant said that when he got the Olympics uniform he spread it out on his bed and gazed at it for a long time. Bryant said, "Our country, we believe, is the greatest county in the world and it's given us so many great opportunities and it's just this sense of pride that you have, that you say, you know what, our country is the best."
Collinsworth was not expecting that sort of comment. Taken aback, he asked Bryant if such pride isn't a relic of a bygone era. "Is it still cool to talk about fighting for the red, white and blue?" Bryant didn't care for the question. He replied, "No, that's the cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it and I'm not ashamed to say it. This is a tremendous honor. You look at our troops overseas who are fighting for our country..." His voice trailed off.
There you have it. The NBC sportscaster was confounded by someone so successful yet so down to earth and patriotic. That is incomprehensible to those who think America is to blame for much of the evil in the world. Despite his success, Bryant is grateful. He has traveled elsewhere in the world. He has seen conditions abroad that he knows have little hope. Interestingly, when he was introduced at the Olympics he received a thunderous welcome, far greater than that received by most Chinese athletes.
5 comments:
Been reading about this and hearing about it in talk radio this past week, and it's great to hear, but also telling in its rarity. Go Kobe, and here's to a rematch in Boston next season.
That beating the Lakers took at the hands of the Celtics was very painful for me to watch.
I do hope they have a chance to meet again next year. But unless Bynum comes back in top form, the Lakers will not have better results.
No one expected the Lakers to get to the finals last year and most expected the Celtics too, so next year's going to be different, esp. with a tip top Bynum, along with a team wide desire for revenge, and especially with Kobe's ability to remind us of MJ. It's going to be interesting.
I'm very concerned about Bynum. Here's a kid who didn't play well until it came time to put up or shut up in a contract season.
Then, he started playing well.
Then, he got injured.
He was supposed to be back in six to eight weeks. At one point, they asked him about when he would be back and he said, well, I'm very frustrated about this, but we can't hurry me back. I have a whole career ahead of me.
Hey, maybe I'm wrong, but I read that as Shawn Kemp redux.
Sign a big contract, get fat, turn into a loser and never be the original guy again.
I hope I'm wrong.
Hope so too, but I wouldn't place the Lakers fate on this guy either. With a young, hungry team, led by Kobe and Jackson, they're going to get it done regardless, if not this year, they're going to be in it for the next few.
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